The Document Foundation, the nonprofit behind the open source document editor LibreOffice, announced it will not add artificial intelligence features to its software for the foreseeable future, according to a blog post this week. The latest version of LibreOffice, released in late August, confirmed the software contains no generative AI features, emphasizing user control over data and offline functionality.
LibreOffice’s decision is a deliberate design choice to ensure users’ documents are not uploaded to external servers for processing and that the software functions without requiring a network connection. The nonprofit highlighted that tens of millions of people and organizations use LibreOffice and stressed the importance of data privacy, especially for confidential or legally privileged information. Users who want AI capabilities can still add them by installing extensions that connect to local AI models.
This move contrasts with many software developers who are aggressively integrating AI features into their products, often prioritizing AI capabilities over user experience or data privacy. LibreOffice’s approach underscores a growing concern about data security and control in the age of AI, appealing to users and organizations wary of cloud-based AI processing. It also reflects a niche in the software market for tools that prioritize offline use and data sovereignty.
LibreOffice’s stance on AI was reiterated in its blog post published this week, reinforcing its commitment to privacy and offline functionality as core features. The software’s user base, which numbers in the tens of millions, continues to rely on the editor for secure document handling without AI integration.